Monument record MDO46854 - Free School, High Street, Gillingham

The Free School, Gillingham is a large old building near the church with a house for the master, formerly a church house. The date of foundation is unknown, but in 1598 it was decreed that 40 marks yearly of the rents from the parish should be used to employ a schoolmaster. <1>

The former Free School is situated at the premises now occupied by A.J. Stone (grocers) in the High Street. Mr A J Stone stated that his father attended the school here about 1900 but it was discontinued before the First World War. Access to the premises was not possible during field investigation. The north face is stuccoed and painted with modern windows. The north-south wing is of stone rubble construction possibly of 18th century origin.

No evidence of any pre-18th century feature was visible but the walls may be those of the original building. <3>

Remains of the Free School in the High Street, Gillingham are now incorporated in a shop. The only notable feature is the late 16th century ceiling of a ground floor room, with heavy ogee-moulded and hollow-chamfered oak wall plates and similarly moulded cross-beams forming a ceiling of four panels. The walls are rendered and no original openings are identifiable. <4>

Stone, A J, Oral: Mr A J Stone (grocer), High Street, Gillingham (Verbal communication). SDO19993.

<1> Shipp, W (ed), 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 3, 619 (Monograph). SWX3207.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, 1884 (Map). SDO10373.

(ST 80642652) Free School (NR)

<3> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 03-FEB-56 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 30 (Monograph). SDO99.

'(10) Free School, remains of, now incorporated in a shop, stand on the S. side of High Street, some 60 yds. S. of (1). The only notable feature is the late 16th-century ceiling of a ground-floor room, with heavy ogee-moulded and hollow-chamfered oak wall-plates and similarly moulded cross-beams forming a ceiling of four panels. The walls are rendered and no original openings are identifiable. The site is identified as the Free School on the O.S. map of 1884; presumably it corresponds with the school mentioned by Hutchins (III, 619).'

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206367 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 24 2023 11:43AM